It’s not goofy if you got the fire power to take it. Look where the Falklands are and who owns them.
Geologists state that below the Spratlys there are huge reserves of OIL —this is about energy, or more specifically current Chinese views of their future dire needs for energy, and control over sea lanes to those energy sources.
Deep within Hainan Island (where the Chinese forced down that Navy EP-3 about 8 years ago), there is (was?) a secret submarine base.
The Chinese have plans for basing/servicing of 20 nuclear submarines there, eventually.
It has underwater entryways, and everything —verrrrry James Bond.
Good point.
I think the Philippines and Malaysia better divide em up (ignore Vietnam) and figure out how to keep them. I can’t imagine, given our history with the Philippines that we would sit idle and let China be aggressive against the Philippines with impunity.